Even while agreeing to disagree with the proposal for formulation of a law to curb forced conversions, the Congress and CPI(M) of Kerala have entered into a war of words over the 'Ghar Wapsi' reconversion programme which the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) has allegedly undertaken in the State.
The Congress locked horns with the Marxists over the issue on Monday following the allegation leveled by State CPI(M) secretary Pinarayi Vijayan that Congress Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had entered into a secret understanding with the Hindutva forces over the 'Ghar Wapsi' programme and that was why he had feigned ignorance about the reconversion scheme.
Responding to Pinarayi's allegation, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala, former State president of the Congress, said in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday that the Marxist leader was trying to derive political mileage out of the issue. No case had so far been registered in Kerala in connection with the 'Ghar Wapsi' programme.
"Pinarayi Vijayan's remarks against Chief Minister Chandy with regard to 'Ghar Wapsi' are meant to derive political mileage. He is unnecessarily trying to drag the name of the Chief Minister into the matter," Chennithala, who had earlier revealed that he had asked the Kerala Police to hold a probe into the reports on 'Ghar Wapsi', said.
Though Chennithala admitted that no complaint had so far been received about forced reconversions into Hindu faith as part of the 'Ghar Wapsi' programme, he charged outfits with Hindutva ideology with keeping a secret agenda in the programme. "The Government will hold enquiries if complaints are received," he said.
Pinarayi had said on Sunday that the Kerala Government had chosen to consider the 'Ghar Wapsi' reconversion campaign lightly and had refused to register even a single case against it even when cases were being registered in other parts of the country. This was due to a secret understanding between the Chief Minister and the RSS, he alleged.
Though Chennithala had revealed that he had asked Additional Director General of Police (Intelligence) A Hemachandran to look into the reports on 'Ghar Wapsi' in Alappuzha district and other places, the Chief Minister had on December 24 said that no incident of reconversion using force had taken place in Kerala.
"What is happening here is forced conversion and the police have to register a case in this regard. Chandy's position that these are not forced conversions seems to be due to a secret understanding between him and the RSS. Therefore the Government is refusing to register a case," Pinarayi said in Kumbala, Kasaragod the other day.
Pinarayi alleged that the RSS had arrived at an understanding with Chandy because it knew that implementing its agenda in Kerala like it had done in other States was not easy. "For the time being, the nature of that understanding is not clear. But truth cannot be kept hidden for long these days. So the truth of this understanding will come out soon," the Marxist leader said.
However, VHP sources said they were not interested in the war between the Marxists and the Congress as they were holding campaigns against the VHP due to their urgency to appease minority communities. They said the VHP had not converted anyone using force or temptation but many had converted voluntarily. "We are just providing help to them," said a VHP source.
As per reports, more than 90 persons from Dalit Christian communities, into which they or their predecessors had converted decades back, had reconverted into Hindu faith under the auspices of the VHP at Cheppad in Alappuzha district, Anchal in Kollam and Thirunakkara and Ponkunnam in Kottayam district since December 21.